


All Encompassing

by tonytonesphoneroo5000



Series: redemption takes effort and intent [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Blowjobs, Cock Tease, Coming Inside, Established Relationship, First Time, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Scent Marking, Sharing Clothes, Various Werewolf Tropes, Virgin Theo Raeken
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-01-05 15:44:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21211046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonytonesphoneroo5000/pseuds/tonytonesphoneroo5000
Summary: If Liam doesn't get his hands on Theo soon, he's going to go insane.





	1. scott is going to need even more years of therapy than the years of therapy he already needs

**Author's Note:**

> also known as "the many times liam and theo almost fucked, and the one time they finally succeeded"
> 
> you guys did this to me...still kinda squicks me to be writing this cause my brother's name is liam, but i shorten it to "li" as i'm writing it and then change it when i edit, please let me know if i have any mistakes left behind.  
i have a lot of slow teasing for my boys ahead :)
> 
> also also this is only my second explicit fic on this account, but if you’re looking for other explicit shit of mine, go to pleasesir (none of it is teen wolf unfortunately)

Theo may be content to sit there, pleased and warm below Liam, but Liam finally has his hands on Theo and he does not plan to stop.

After a moment he pulls back to look at him; a couple hours ago, in Monroe’s storage room, his face had been almost unrecognizable. Liam smooths his thumbs over Theo’s cheekbones, feeling them solid, taps there once to make his eyes flutter shut so they can kiss again, and again, getting deeper, opening Theo’s mouth up under his own, feeling Theo’s hands grip at his hips. Theo’s naked, not like he’s capable of forgetting that. 

“Liam...we have to…” 

“What?” Liam whispers, softer than he usually is, grinding down til he feels the prick of claws. “What do we have to do?” He splays his own hands over the planes of Theo’s chest, wanting to feel the reassurance of his breath, the beat of his sister’s heart. Theo’s face is open, almost helpless. Liam wants to stay there forever, looking down at him, feeling him here and strong and _safe_. He kisses him, deeper this time, feeling Theo’s cock twitch under his ass.

It wouldn’t be the first time Liam’s been with a guy; that would be Brett, regrettably more than once. Well. Considering that Brett is proportional everywhere, not _that_ regrettably. 

With Theo it’s different, Liam hungry for it, having to remember to control his claws, scraping his fangs over Theo’s bottom lip. Theo pulls back, making a noise that would be wounded if his pupils weren’t blown so large, the cut healing before it even really bleeds.

Liam schooches back, so he can look at Theo, hard and flushed and staring at Liam like he’s never seen him before, Liam wondering suddenly if this is his first time. When would Theo have time to fuck someone, when he’s spent most of his life with the Dread Doctors? Liam tries to imagine the manipulative, quietly simmering Theo from before he went underground, thinks of _that_ guy allowing himself to be vulnerable enough to be intimate with someone, measured against the fact that Theo is, like, stupid hot. Surely someone got their hands on Theo before this? Then again, Liam thinks, remembering Theo’s constant frustration, the way he’s been acting for the past couple weeks, like he has no idea what he’s doing...Then again, maybe no one has. 

Just the thought that he might be the first has something hotly satisfied burning in Liam’s throat, making him want to hold Theo down and make _sure_ he knows just how good Liam can be to him. It also makes him calm, claws fading, the shift folding back into his skin. He’s not going to ask Theo, cause there’s no way Theo will admit something like that, but it makes Liam want to be gentle, want to not have Theo’s first time be anything but the best Liam can give him. All of his first times, every one. 

Theo’s eyes track Liam’s face as he leans down to kiss his cheek, his nose, his mouth, getting his hands around Theo’s cock. Theo makes a surprised breathy noise that has Liam’s hips rolling, his jeans getting tighter. “Liam, we can’t.”

“You don’t want this?” Liam asks, pretending to be shocked, able to smell the thick, heady scent of what he now knows is Theo’s arousal that’s curling around the room as he runs a thumb over Theo’s slit, feels the gush of slick and brings his fingers to his mouth, licks it away. It tastes good; ever since Liam became a werewolf, his likes are different, more like the wolf’s.

“_Fuck_.” 

“I mean, I can stop, if you want.”

Theo’s loose fingers at Liam’s hips become claws again, eyes briefly flashing yellow. “Don’t you _dare_.” Liam grins, puts his wrist into it, hears Theo’s soft _ah_ as he tips his head back, his cock throbbing in Liam’s hand. 

It’s about to get good, Theo’s hips pushing up, his muscles tightening, when the door swings open and Scott steps through, eyes landing on Theo: naked, panting, halfway to an orgasm, and Liam: dressed but disheveled, also panting, the person who is responsible for said almost orgasm. There’s a frozen moment before Scott yelps, shoving Mason and Malia back from where they were following him, and says, “Uh, they’re busy!” in a voice that’s a bit too frantic and high-pitched to belong to someone who’s supposed to be a True Alpha.

At this point, Liam has scrambled off Theo and into the chair near his bed, Theo turning red which Liam didn’t even realize he was capable of and is excited to see in the future. Liam hands him his hospital gown without looking at him, not entirely convinced that he’ll be able to resist Theo, even now with the pungent scent of Scott’s embarrassment filling the room. 

“Um.”

“Um…” 

He meets Theo’s eyes when he’s finally dressed, both of them grinning in shy solidarity. “Save my place for later?” Liam asks, motioning to where Theo’s still visibly hard, Theo pulling the hospital blankets up around his waist as his eyes go dark and hot. 

“Later,” Theo promises.

* * *

_Later_ will be a long time in coming; the entire pack has come to see Theo, all of them bearing shitty candy from the hospital gift shop or, in Lydia’s case, an expensively arranged vase of beautiful flowers that probably have some deep hidden meaning only smart people like Lydia and Theo will understand. Even Isaac Lahey comes in, to look between Liam and Theo, grinning with satisfaction for some reason. It feels like it’s been years since yesterday, when Theo had him up against that wall, but it’s only been a day.

Theo seems appreciative if a little overwhelmed by it all, flinching a bit when Ms. McCall gently takes his pulse then smooths the hair away from his face and tells him he’ll be fine, that he just needs to rest.

After a while most of them have filed out, to find more comfortable beds than the hospital waiting room chairs. It leaves Scott and the Sheriff and Argent, Liam refusing to leave Theo’s side. He’s tired enough to put his head on the bed next to Theo’s thigh, watching through sleepy eyes as Theo is interrogated. Monroe’s dead, but some of her hunters are still out there, seeing Monroe as some kind of martyr. The real threat is gone, but Scott wants to cut every thread, get rid of the problem so they can maybe go back to normal. Their normal. 

Theo puts a hand near Liam’s head after a while, scratching at the back of his neck, making Liam even sleepier so he’s barely following as Scott says, “She was really going to torture you to death,” like he believes it, doesn’t want to. It’s amazing how goodhearted Scott is, after everything. He’s not naive, not anymore; especially not after Theo, Liam thinks guiltily. Scott still has that kindness inside him though, that True Alpha willingness to believe the best in people. 

Theo laughs. “It’s not like I don’t deserve it.”

Liam is up and snarling before he even realizes he’s moving, the Sheriff jumping in his seat, all of them staring. “You _don’t_ deserve it,” Liam says, knowing the guilt Theo carries on his shoulders like a blanket, knowing that Theo was definitely abused and manipulated by the Dread Doctors, knowing that doesn’t really change anything; Theo is responsible for his actions. 

Theo holds up his hands, palms out; Liam isn’t looking at the others, can only see Theo, see Theo curled on the floor back in that _fucking_ basement when Liam thought he was dead. Feels that familiar hot anger start to curl up from his stomach, remembers Theo telling him _You’re only angry because you’re afraid_. 

“Liam,” Scott says, shifting in his seat, leaning back to pinch the skin between his eyes. Liam wonders, distantly, if Scott knows that his dad does the same thing. “No one thinks Theo deserves to be tortured.” _Anymore_, is the unspoken word at the end of his sentence, but Liam rolls his shoulders, looking at Argent and the Sheriff, both exhausted, at Theo who makes jokes like that all the time, only halfway meaning it. He settles back into the chair, flushing, and nods.

* * *

Theo is cleared to go home by Ms. McCall, who must have some sort of superpower where no one else at the hospital ever questions the amazing healing times of some of her patients. Then again, it’s Beacon Hills. Instantaneous healing wouldn’t be the weirdest thing that’s happened around here. She even provides some ugly hospital sweats for Theo to wear home, his own clothes ruined beyond repair.

Liam is insistent that he goes back to Theo’s apartment with him, texts his mom so she won’t send some kind of APB out; Liam turned eighteen a couple weeks ago, but he knows she still worries about him, probably more so now that Liam’s told her what he is. She had taken it with the same strength she used when she kicked Liam’s dad out for beating the shit out of them, or when Liam was diagnosed with his IED. She’s his mom, and Liam’s never once had to doubt her. 

It isn’t until they’re actually in Theo’s apartment that Liam remembers Theo lives like some kind of apocalyptic survivor, just the mattress on the floor, the dresser. So they’re both surprised when they walk into something that looks like a human being lives there.

A bed, with a _frame_, in the bedroom, a futon, dishes, fridge, furniture, even hand towels and a picture on the wall of the whole pack that Ms. McCall had snuck at some point during one of their dinners. Scott is kissing Malia’s cheek as Stiles reaches across them, mouth full, to grab for another roll, the other pack members variously grinning, eating, or, in Peter’s case, managing to make the act of pouring juice look vaguely sinister. Theo is there, in the background as usual, bringing a plate of food from the kitchen with a small, satisfied smile on his face. 

Liam looks to Theo, who shrugs. “Lydia,” they agree. Neither of them mention the scratches from where Theo was dragged away by Monroe, or the places that reek of bleach where there were once bloodstains.

Liam would have thought, after the almost-orgasm in the hospital, that they’d be on each other the moment they had peace, but they’re both too tired, Liam yawning as he searches for and manages to find a new toothbrush under the bathroom sink, elbowing Theo aside so he can brush. The sun is coming up when they finally fall into bed, the sheets nicer than Liam has at his own house, no surprise considering he constantly rips them open and has to buy new, cheap ones. 

They lay there for a couple minutes, Theo shirtless, Liam in his boxers and one of Theo’s hoodies, looking at each other. Theo pulls him forward after a moment, presses their foreheads together, breathing into each other. Liam moves until they’re chest to chest, feeling Theo’s sister’s heart beating against his, puts an arm around Theo’s waist. They don’t have anything to say, so they don’t talk; Liam falls asleep with Theo’s head on his chest, safe where he belongs.


	2. yeah, okay, pack relations are important, but Liam needs to get his dick sucked like REALLY BAD, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a chapter caused by everyone commenting, this is the friendliest fandom i've ever been in :)
> 
> (not that any other fandom has been _unfriendly_ but you guys know what i mean)
> 
> i'm in grad school and i have two jobs and i volunteer but i guess fanfiction is more important (i'm just kidding) (no i'm not)  
also, i edit everything before i post it, but the s, o, k, 2, and 7 keys on my keyboard are slightly damaged so if you notice a typo pls let me know although unfortunately my backspace also sticks  
also also i liked hayden and i don't get the hatred a lot of people seem to have for her? she left anyway, it's not like she can come between liam and theo *shrug* i thought she was cute so i mentioned her in here. blame it on the thing i have for pretty brunette women
> 
> i hope you guys don't mind my longass notes. i have type 1 diabetes and the thought of a magical cure where i also get to be a werewolf is the sexiest thing EVER and it made me laugh to think of a werewolf trying to hide that he's perfectly healthy
> 
> my tumblr is ieyete if anyone wants to come scream with me about fictional characters

“Your friend is here.” 

“What friend?” Liam asks, not looking up from his homework; History is fun, History makes _sense_, it already happened so it can’t change. Every other class is hard and the _worst_ and Liam hates them. 

If Mason wanted to come over he would text first and everyone else in the pack has good enough manners to ask, besides Malia, who wouldn’t come over; she’s pack, but not like...She’s not in a ‘come to Liam’s house unannounced’ category.

“Your friend Teddy,” his dad says just as Liam catches the scent of dead leaves and fall. 

Liam’s first instinct is to protest that he doesn’t know anyone by that name, because who the fuck is Teddy? Teddy is a freckled five year old with round glasses, not someone who Liam can _personally confirm_ has committed murder. Multiple times. Theo waves from behind Liam’s dad; he’s so friendly in front of Liam’s parents, it’s weird and endearing all at the same time.

“Right, thanks. Hi, Theo.” 

Theo closes the door behind himself when he comes in, shoves Liam’s papers aside so he can lie on his bed, arms behind his head. Liam is trying very hard not to think about that other time they were in a bed together, when Liam had his hand on Theo’s dick and Theo was making these little subvocal whines that, if Liam had anything to do about it, were about to become vocal instead. Extremely vocal.

Theo is not helping with any of this; Liam has a paper due tomorrow and he’s pretty sure Theo wants him to graduate which is why it’s confusing that Theo is lying there, in Liam’s room, in his _bed_, smelling like Liam and doing this little half smile as he looks all soft and contented, and Liam just...Liam just _wants_. Which is making it nearly impossible to do his History paper. He turns around in his chair and focuses on his paper which doesn’t really help. He can’t see Theo anymore but he still knows he’s there, can smell him and hear his heartbeat. 

“Liam,” Theo says, and when he turns around Theo is _there_, on his bed, biting his lip and looking a little nervous and Liam is allowed to touch him now so he does, gets up from his desk chair and ignores his stupid homework to sprawl himself on top of Theo. He didn’t even realize how tense he was until he’s relaxing all at once, tucking his nose in the space where Theo’s neck meets his shoulder, where it’s like his scent is cupped there. Theo’s hands come up to rest on his back, broad and warm.

“Did you miss me?” Liam asks, not expecting an answer and not getting one, knowing the answer anyway. He pulls back to look at Theo’s eyes; wide and green and open, in a different way than before underground when they were wide and green and so empty you could mistake that for openness. 

“I missed your bed,” Theo says instead, grinning, so Liam wipes it off his face by kissing him which turns out to be a _very_ effective tactic as Theo sighs and licks into his mouth. 

Liam meant it to be more of an innocent thing because he really does have to finish this paper, except they’re moving and Theo’s thigh is between his legs and really? He looks like something from the good kind of gay porn, all beefy and flushed and waiting as Liam grinds down on him, watching his eyes flash yellow, grinning with satisfaction. 

He wonders if he can make Theo come in his pants, if Theo will be all shy about it. Then again, it’s Theo, who was raised by literal evil scientists and thus has no sense of societal values, so he probably won’t care. Theo takes advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration to get one hand in Liam’s hair and tug, biting at his neck, the part of his shoulder exposed by his pulled-aside collar. It smells so good in here, not just of Theo but of _turned on_ Theo as Liam reaches down to rub his cock through his jeans. 

“Tell me what you like,” he says into Theo’s ear, unable to stop his hips from moving, knowing he’s getting his scent all over Theo, loving it.

“I don’t know,” Theo admits, which shouldn’t be hot but _is_ because Liam’s going to find out everything that makes Theo feel good and turn it into a book or something, and he’ll be the only one who ever reads that book, and he’ll bookmark every page and turn it into a series. 

… 

Theo makes him kind of stupid, Liam is realizing. It doesn’t matter what Theo likes right now because everyone likes grinding and friction and Liam is about to suggest that they take their shirts off because he’s a genius when his phone rings. 

And Liam would ignore it but it’s Scott’s ringtone and Scott hates calling, he only does it when it’s important, so Liam groans, and answers it.

“Liam, hey, there’s a new pack coming through and we have to go meet them,” Scott says without preamble. Liam drops his head to Theo’s broad, handsome shoulder, and hates his life. 

* * *

Theo doesn’t understand why he and Liam have to be present to meet this new pack that Scott called them about, when they could be doing far more fun and naked things, Theo’s fangs in Liam’s neck, Liam’s hands on him, stroking. Theo doesn’t have a whole lot of experience, but he knows good hands when he sees them, and Liam has _great_ hands.

But Scott’s been emphasizing that the supernatural community has to start being an actual community and he’s been reaching out to every pack he can. 

The foreign pack is small anyway, just an Alpha and two Betas; the Alpha is a woman in her forties who looks like she breaks bricks with her hands for a living, and the Betas are her daughter, who also looks like she could snap spines with one hand, and a skinny teenage boy. 

Scott is being endearing and himself, clearly unaware of the uneasiness crawling off all three of them; Beacon Hills has something of a reputation, and Scott is the only True Alpha currently living. They are, all of them, basically survivors of multiple wars and it’s clear that this pack was expecting someone tougher, older, less friendly. Scott’s kind, easy openness is hard to be strong against, hard to mesh with the True Alpha who took down some of the biggest threats the supernatural world had to offer.

Theo wonders if any of his pack notice as he looks around from his place at Liam’s left shoulder, occasionally swaying in close enough to soothe himself with a look at Liam’s intent face, at Scott as he babbles enough that eventually the other pack relax, accepting Scott’s invitation to a barbecue at his house. Probably none of the others have noticed besides Malia, who won’t care, Derek, who also won’t care, and Peter, who’s giving Theo strange looks that Theo decides to ignore in favor of letting the back of his hand brush against Liam’s.  


* * *

Theo drives Corey and Mason there, because…because he feels like he owes them, and others, as much help as he can give, and also because he’s pretty sure they’re friends now, maybe. Corey makes a joke about Theo’s perfect hair that seems friendly, at least. 

The barbecue is in full swing by the time they get there, because Theo drives _carefully_, unlike some people who have never driven around with corpses in the back seat and got into the habit of following speed laws. 

Corey and Mason are quick to pile out, cheerfully waving to Stiles and offering to help with the gallons of juice he brought along, but Liam stays in the car, watching til Theo gets uncomfortable, reacts how he always does, snaps, “What’re you looking at?”

Liam doesn’t answer; instead he tucks his fingers between Theo’s neck and his headrest, pulls him in to brush a brief kiss across his mouth, gently taps his fingers at the place where Theo’s hairline meets his skin. It’s a familiar action, which is weird because Liam’s never done it to him before, until Theo remembers he’s seen Liam do it to Hayden, quick and affectionate. Which is terrifying, because that means Theo is someone Liam’s in _love_ with, and objectively he knows this, of course he knows this, but in reality Theo is frozen in his car as Liam grins at him and hops out, picking up the last gallon of juice for a grateful Stiles.

And Theo is still sitting there when Peter strolls over a few minutes later, looking like he’s plotting something, smelling annoyingly good. Expensive cologne and evil, probably. “Are you going to leave your vehicle at any point today, or are you planning to stay here so as to establish yourself as the McCall’s latest charity case?” He taps his chin. “Or, you could be a particularly hideous garden gnome.” 

“I live in _your_ building,” Theo reminds him, glaring. He doesn’t need to live with the McCalls. He doesn’t _want_ to, afraid that too much contact will lead to Scott remembering exactly what Theo has done, all his past crimes. His pack taken away. 

“Ah, yes, I am the generous landlord upon whom you so rely.” Theo has never met anyone with a more punchable face. 

Peter rests his elbows against the open window on Theo’s side, close enough that Theo leans back and away, his neck prickling with alarm. Peter is all suave smiles and charm, with the wolf snarling just under his skin. Theo did his research before he came to this town; he knows exactly who the most vicious member of the pack is. Peter killed his own niece, not that Theo can judge. 

Peter is perfectly capable of gutting Theo right now and hiding his body before anyone notices, as revenge for what Theo did to Malia. Theo is aware, always, that true werewolves are stronger than him. Usually, he doesn’t care.

“What do you want?”

Peter looks at him blankly. “You love him, you blithering idiot. That’s what this pack _does_, you start loving one of them and then they have you.” It’s Malia for Peter, is left unsaid. And maybe Derek. “Now, would you please stop sitting out here reeking of teenage angst and distressing everyone? I brought the most delicious miniature hot dogs and they’re being sorely unappreciated.” 

This coaxes a laugh out of Theo that he wasn’t expecting; he doesn’t ask how Peter knew what he was thinking, but he finds himself strangely grateful for the small smile Peter sends his way as Theo leaves the safety of his truck and heads for the sound of his pack. 

* * *

The teenage boy from the other pack, Alex, is explaining how he was bit by a rogue Alpha and met Fallon, his current Alpha, and that she’s been helping him keep everything a secret from his family as he figures out how to live with his new life. “And it got really complicated because I was, like, just diagnosed with diabetes when that guy bit me.” 

“You’re a werewolf...with diabetes.” 

Alex scratches at the back of his neck, sheepish. “Uh, no, I used to have diabetes, but when I got bit it went away but that’s not actually _possible_ for normal people so I’ve been pretending for the past couple years.” He shrugs. “My doctors think I’m just really good at controlling my blood sugar.”

Theo lets Liam loop an arm around his neck, pull him into the circle where Lydia moves aside to make room, her arm brushing his. He offers her one of his mini hot dogs, which really are delicious and hopefully not poisoned by Peter, and she takes it. It should be impossible for someone to be pretty while eating tiny hot dogs, and yet. She sends him a quick, closed mouth smile as thanks that Theo tucks away with every other sign of forgiveness the pack has shown him; he keeps it all behind his sister’s heart, warming his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the whole 'teddy' thing is cause my dad calls my friend billy 'bill' whenever he comes over and i'm always like 'i do not know this bill man' why are dads so WEIRD


	3. theo made a 'sick as a dog' joke and was punched rather hard in the arm, but it was worth it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter! thanks for all the comments, guys, i love them <3 i know exactly where this story is going, btw it's very fun
> 
> i feel like this story is really fluffy but i guess theo deserves it, considering all the terrible things i did to him last time....
> 
> next chapter goes even better for him, just letting everyone know;)

Theo’s laying in bed, thinking about how wonderful it would be if Liam was here right now, tucked under his arm. Or, maybe, above Theo, caging him in, letting the veins in his forearms bulge as he holds Theo down. Theo’s never had anything in himself besides his own fingers, but he thinks Liam’s cock would fit perfectly, slides a hand down to his own cock where it’s chubbing up, leaking inside his sweatpants.

It’s always a little embarrassing to be doing this in his apartment; he knows Peter comes here sometimes and he would rather die than have Peter discuss masturbation with him. Peter would smirk and do that thing with his eyes where he’s being ridiculous but he acts like _you’re_ the one being ridiculous, which Theo uses on people all the time so he hates when Peter does it to him.

Theo sniffs at the air, stretches out his hearing; the other people in the apartment building are mostly sleeping in on this Saturday morning, some of them watching TV, puttering around their apartments.

He comes back into himself with a satisfied sigh, thinks of Liam’s strong shoulders, how good it would feel to be pressed open again and again, helpless about it, Liam’s mouth at his neck. How Theo would hold him there, close and safe, forever.

It’s this weirdly soft thought that has Theo coming hard enough that he gets his own jizz across his mouth, which isn’t the worst thing he’s ever had there. He wipes at his face, settles back into his pillows with a hand over his abs. He’ll clean up later. Or...He thinks of going to Liam like this, smelling of cum and a fresh orgasm, thinks of how irresistible he’ll be. It makes his cheeks hot which is _stupid_, Theo is the first chimera and he should definitely be too cool to blush over some kid with stupid hair and gorgeous eyes and clever, strong hands and the ability to forgive Theo for all the harm he’s done. Definitely too cool for that.

* * *

Theo has managed to wipe his chest clean and throw on a sweatshirt about ten minutes later, is headed out to his truck when he passes Peter in the hallway. Peter’s nostrils flare before he grins, delighted. “Theo, you smell wonderful. New cologne?” It’s said so friendly and calm that Theo wants to _rip his fucking face off_, but he’s too busy turning red and ducking out the side door as Peter bursts into laughter behind him.

* * *

Liam is dying, he’s pretty sure. He’s freezing, his eyes are watery and sore, and he’s had this on and off cough since last night’s pack meeting. Which is scary, because Liam’s pretty sure werewolves don’t get colds naturally, so if someone, like, cursed Liam to have a cold he is going to find them and punch their face until they die, he decides. It’s the only solution, the simmering anger that’s always under his skin tells him. 

Liam coughs again where he lies in a miserable ball on his bed; his mom left him after making it up for him like he likes when he’s sick, more pillows than usual, a glass of cold water on his nightstand. Just like when he was little, which he would complain about except he had felt so awful and it was soothing to have his mom take care of him and even, bravely, kiss Liam’s gross, sweaty forehead. 

“I’ll be back by four, baby,” she had said, and Liam had tried to pretend he didn’t want to be all clingy and beg her to stay, because he’s a werewolf and definitely supposed to be tougher than that. When she comes back, she’ll make him soup.

For now, Liam contents himself with texting Scott to ask wtf is going on, and looking stoically out his window, where...Theo...is...crouched…

They stare at each other for a long moment, Theo looking stupid hot as usual with one of Liam’s lacrosse sweatshirts on, his hair hanging in his face, and Liam looking like the personification of disease as he slumps on his bed in the hideous Batman pajamas he’s had since he was, like, thirteen. He can feel fluid running from his left eye and decides that the death of whoever made him sick will not be pleasant. 

Theo waves once, concerned, and Liam beckons him in; he leaves his window unlocked because a weird amount of his friends use it as an entrance, and anything that did want to hurt him wouldn’t be stopped by a stupid window lock.

Theo ducks inside, graceful, managing not to trip over the textbooks Liam left on the floor. He smells...really good, really, _really_ good, but Liam lost the ability to get hard at the same time he lost the ability to breathe easily. Liam lets his body sway to the side, against the wall of pillows, and does not whine piteously. But he could, if he wanted to. 

“Uh, hey,” Theo says, looking all handsome and worried. The little line between his eyebrows is a good look on him. 

“I’m dying,” Liam groans. “What’s wrong with me?” 

“You’re going into heat.”

“_What?_” Liam sits up so quickly that his aching body protests and sends him back down; after some surreptitious Googling on private mode Liam had decided that heats are probably one of those things that are purely myths, just like having a knot. That had not stopped Liam from being a little nervous jerking off for the first month after he was bitten. 

Theo laughs; he’s so pretty, has Liam mentioned that he is so, so pretty? Liam might be a little bit delirious. “I’m just kidding, that doesn’t happen to us.I have no idea what’s wrong with you.” He comes to sit next to Liam’s gross, sick body on the bed, putting the back of one hand to his forehead. “You’re warm.”

Liam leans into him, helplessly, and he doesn’t feel so terrible anymore. Not as terrible isn’t great, though. “I feel like shit,” he admits, pleased when Theo removes his hand and lets Liam lean against his shoulder, putting his head there. 

He’s about to tell Theo that he can have half of his stuff (the other half goes to Mason, of course) when both their phones buzz with a text from the pack groupchat. Scott is desperately apologetic as he explains that he accidentally caught something while visiting Deaton before he goes back to school; every werewolf in the general area is sick, as well as Parrish. Malia and Theo, being a coyote and a coyote/wolf mix, are exempt.

Brett is also sick, which means at least one good thing has come from this whole ordeal; Liam bets he doesn’t look so hot and ripped when he’s coughing his stupid, attractive lungs up. Then Liam thinks back to the time Brett actually was coughing his lungs up, and almost died, and how that wasn’t funny. At all. But then he remembers how the other day Brett had visited him at lacrosse practice and reminded Liam of the time he accidentally scored a goal for the other team, so Liam allows himself to feel a little vindictive pleasure. 

“I’m going to live,” he is pleased to inform Theo, as if Theo didn’t also get that text. But Theo is looking down at Liam with this little upward twist to his lips, affectionate, so Liam doesn’t let himself feel stupid. Theo was too busy staring at him to read the text anyway. “I just have kennel cough.” 

Theo bursts into laughter, which Liam is too delighted to see to get mad about; two laughs in less than ten minutes is a big deal for Theo. “You have the dog version of the common cold,” Theo gleefully informs him, because of course Theo knows exactly what that is. Theo knows everything about biology for obvious, terrifying reasons.

“And also I’m _going to live_, boyfriend who should be rejoicing,” Liam hisses, leaving Theo’s shoulder to lie on his pillows again, pulling his blanket around himself, trying to look pathetic. That isn’t hard right now.

He doesn’t realize what he said until Theo chokes on a weird whimpering noise and his chemosignals become so obvious even Liam can read them: fear, joy, surprise. Liam sits up to look at him, curious. Theo had to know they’re dating, right? He starts thinking that maybe they weren’t, that maybe he was being an idiot, and he can only feel one emotion at a time so he gets angry, is about to snap something unwise when Theo is there in his face, kissing him deeply even though Liam’s kind of snotty. Liam sinks into it, touches his fingers to the soft hair on the back of Theo’s neck, where he wants to bite. 

“You’re part wolf, you might catch my germs,” he says against Theo’s mouth, unwilling to part from it even for health reasons. 

“I don’t care.” Theo does eventually pull away, though, and Liam sees the black veins bleeding up Theo’s arm from where he’s touching Liam’s wrist, realizes his headache and general feeling of achiness is gone. “I have to take care of my boyfriend.” Which is the softest thing Liam’s heard from him, ever, and maybe even softer than anything Hayden said and she used to, like, write poetry about Liam’s eyes. Liam lets himself have this perfect moment of romance, which lasts for fifteen seconds until Theo starts reading Liam kennel cough facts from veterinarypartner.com and Liam has to tackle him onto the bed.

* * *

Theo does eventually get his shit together and realize that he should be taking care of Liam, who, while he now knows he isn’t going to die, still feels pretty shitty. He already learned that cough medicine doesn’t work on him, and it’s not fair to have Theo continuously take his pain even if Theo offered.

Instead, he brings his whole comforter downstairs with him and sits at the kitchen table while Theo makes pancakes and pours juice and generally looks like he belongs in Liam’s home with him always. He’s never seen Theo look this bright and happy before, is used to the more quiet, serious Theo who came back from underground. 

That Theo definitely didn’t look like the kind of guy who would hum softly under his breath while he used a mixing bowl. Liam tries to imagine before-underground Theo making pancakes and can only picture it if the pancakes had like...hemlock in them. Before-underground Theo is definitely capable of making evil pancakes.

After-underground Theo has a little flour on his nose, currently, looking like the love interest in some really stupid romantic comedy where they’re competing bakers or something. It wouldn’t even be a good romantic comedy, but he would watch it anyway, if Theo was in it. Liam really wishes his inner monologue was a little more manly, but Theo is looking so domestic and cute, it has Liam feeling protective, smiling whenever Theo meets his eye and telling Theo that his pancakes are really good when they’re really not, even though he knows Theo can read his chemosignals. The pancakes have little clumps of flour still in them and what Liam is pretty sure is an eggshell, but he never complains about food that’s given to him, and the chocolate chips are enough to hide most of the bad taste. 

“So, why did you smell so good earlier, anyway?” Liam asks, crunching through something that definitely shouldn’t be crunchy. Hopefully werewolves can’t get food poisoning. “Like...sex, and contentment.” Liam didn’t know Theo could blush that color. He sometimes forgets Theo can blush at all.

“I was coming over to. Um. Talk.”

Liam looks Theo up and down. “Sure. To talk,” he says, like Theo didn’t just avoid his question. “Next time you come over, to _talk_, I won’t be sick, and we can have a really _deep_ conversation. _Really_ deep.” The even darker shade Theo turns means that Liam has to put his pancakes aside so he can kiss Theo senseless. The sacrifices he makes for love.

* * *

When Jenna Dunbar comes home exactly at four with a bowl of chicken soup from Liam’s favorite diner, she walks in his room to see Theo curled around Liam’s balled up form, Liam finally breathing easily, Theo’s palm over Liam’s heart. They’re sleeping so deeply they don’t even stir. She smiles, and closes the door. The soup can wait for later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so they're boyfriends now! although they already might as well have been lol
> 
> i also just thought it would be super funny if they got a dog disease. don't worry, it's harmless and will clear up in a day or so
> 
> also, again, yes, i did have brett and lori survive the car thing because ummm i liked them and i LOVED satomi so guess what? she lived too yay.


	4. wherein liam gives a whole new meaning to taking a knee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love them so much :) it's hockey season which is why i haven't been writing as much lately, and also it's the end of the school year bleghhhhh but rest assured i'm still crazy obsessed with this pairing
> 
> i realized i hadn't included alec before, and we love a last minute character with no defined backstory, so i threw him in here :)
> 
> also i love sports jokes

Theo once spent nine months alone in an underground bunker while the doctors worked on something they didn’t need him for. He was eleven at the time, and he mostly spent it training, reading, eventually talking to himself. He hadn’t cried once from the crippling loneliness that began overwhelming him after month six. 

Another time, Theo had to track down and capture a Slaugh that took on the appearance of Tara and spent the whole drive back, tied up in the front seat of Theo’s truck, glaring balefully at him through her eyes, occasionally talking in this creepy singsong voice about how she would hurt him later. Theo hadn’t flinched, although in a weird way the Slaugh had been kind of right.

He’s very brave, is what he’s saying. Which is why he’s _not_ nervous, at all, to be sitting next to Liam’s mom at the latest Beacon Hills lacrosse game, even though he could say the wrong thing at any time and she’ll turn to him with disgust or, worse, pity in her eyes and realize Liam’s too good to be with him. And then Theo will have to leave. Or kill her. Even though he likes her almost as much as he likes Liam and he is no longer, as Stiles had so eloquently put it, ‘full psycho.’ Okay, he wouldn’t kill her. He’d just leave. Theo knows exactly how crazy Liam makes him and also exactly how far he’s willing to go to keep Liam in his life. He could definitely leave, if he had to. (The worst part is, he knows he couldn’t really do it, not anymore.)

Jenna looks a lot like Liam; she’s small, but solid, with the same angular features and pretty eyes. She doesn’t frown like Liam does, though. Except when Liam takes a bad hit and falls; Theo can hear the crack of a bone breaking from here and winces, but Liam’s up and running a couple seconds later so it’s probably fine. 

Jenna puts a hand to her chest; he can hear the rapid hummingbird throb of her heartbeat. “Ugh, every time he gets hurt I feel like my heart’s going to stop, you know what I mean?” Theo thinks it would be inappropriate to laugh right now. 

“Uh, yeah. I know exactly what you mean, actually.” 

He knows that _she_ knows about werewolves, about Liam and what they all went through last year. What he _doesn’t_ know is the exact breadth of her awareness; she knows that Theo wasn’t always the balanced, kind, attractive individual he is today (Theo’s words, unfortunately, not Liam’s) but she probably doesn’t know just how bad it was. Ergo, she isn’t aware that Theo spent months in a skinwalker’s prison having his heart ripped out of his chest. 

She smiles at Theo, puts a hand on his shoulder; he doesn’t flinch. Instincts like that were trained out of him years ago, mostly. He turns his eyes back to the game where he can tell Liam’s on the edge of losing control, frustrated by how the other team is targeting him as the best player. He gets pushed to the ground, hard, landing flat on his front with his hands pressed under him; Theo can hear the subvocal growl in the back of his throat and almost stands. They’ve been through too much for Liam to wolf out in front of a crowd like this. 

There’s a groan from the crowd as Liam gets to his feet, hands in fists at his sides; they’ve seen Liam fight enough people to know what he looks like when he’s angry. Theo swears Liam’s looking his way; when their eyes meet there’s a frisson of _something_ that sends heat straight to Theo’s cock before Liam’s shaking his head, loping back down the field.

Theo thinks he’s fine until he hipchecks some kid on the other team so hard that the boy goes flying several feet, hitting another teammate where they land in a pile of limbs. Liam rolls his shoulders back, and Theo can read the satisfaction on him as Liam looks over at him again. They shouldn’t be able to see each other from here, but they don’t have human eyes.

Theo grins, savage and proud. That’s one of his favorite parts about Liam, the darkness in him that Theo doesn’t even have to feel bad about because it was there before he ever came around. Theo only drew on it, used it. He didn’t cause it, so he doesn’t have to feel guilty. He can just enjoy.

* * *

They win the game, because of course they do. Statistically speaking, there have to be other supernatural creatures playing sports out there, but there’s certainly no one on the opposing team this time, and thus no one to stand up against Liam, who’d clearly had a blast plowing through them. 

Theo goes to wait for him outside the locker room; he’ll drive Liam home, maybe stop off at the Preserve to see how far he can get with Liam before something inevitably interrupts them. 

He crosses his arms over his chest, watches Liam’s teammates file out, the players from the other team, most of them pink-cheeked and happy despite the loss. All but one, who has Liam backed up against a wall, Liam leaning on his stick as the other boy gets in his space. 

Liam has this way of looking up from under his eyelashes that should be sweet and endearing, but instead looks challenging, and, well, still endearing, just in a different way. 

Theo doesn’t think he’s aware of it; he mainly does it in Theo’s direction anyway, and now he’s doing it at some douchebag from the other team who looks almost as gobsmacked as Theo always feels when he does that.

Which, to be honest, people usually have a hard time being around Liam after they get to know him because he can be intense, and his pretty face doesn’t match his aggressive personality. And most people can’t handle that, because most people are cowards. 

So Theo isn’t used to feeling jealousy, because usually no one who isn’t pack touches Liam. Except for this kid, who’s taking Liam by the bicep, squeezing once, appreciatively, making some comment about how much Liam must work out which is, like, so obvious and basic.Of course Liam works out, he’s a fucking lacrosse player. Theo could do so much better.

He snarls in the back of his throat, quiet enough that only Liam’s eyes snap to him; Theo takes some satisfaction in how they immediately light up. “Theo! Hey, come over here.”

Theo can smell the other boy’s disappointment as he sidles up to Liam’s side, pressing up to his left like he always does. Liam smells good, the shitty body wash he uses after games only barely covering up clean sweat and satisfaction, a hint of something darker that Theo knows is the anger he always carries. And over it all that sweet mango smell Theo is so used to. He softens immediately. “Hey.” If they were _alone_, he could move closer, kiss at Liam’s temple, his cheek, his jugular. He turns to the other boy, unsmiling. “Who’s this?” Theo can tell from Liam’s sudden, wide-eyed discomfort that he’s forgotten the kid’s name already, and grins.

* * *

Liam doesn’t think Theo realizes how close he’s standing, Liam’s skin prickling to attention, but then he doesn’t think Theo ever knows how close he stands, always hovering at Liam’s left shoulder like he’s guarding it. Liam’s never minded. It makes him feel safe. 

He also doesn’t think Theo knows he’s doing that thing where his eyes narrow, body going lazy and still. It used to drive Liam crazy, back when Theo was evil. It still does, in a different way, to see Theo turn into a predator. He feels the same shudder of awareness that he felt during the game when their eyes locked, bumps Theo’s shoulder with his own.

“I’m Kevin,” the other boy offers, and normally Liam would feel bad for ignoring him (that’s a lie) but right now all Liam can think about is getting Theo alone and at least semi-naked. It’s time to celebrate his victory by putting Theo against a flat surface and making him beg. 

“Right. Great game!” Liam chirps, heading off down the hallway, knowing Theo will follow because Theo always follows him. He takes him to the locker room, cleared out, everyone showered and gone home. Liam always leaves last because he’s captain and has to put everything away, which is usually kind of annoying cause no one offers to help him, but right now it is very much not annoying, as he has Theo here, alone, and his phone is in his bag outside so not even Scott can interrupt them.

Theo has his hands in his pockets, casual to anyone who didn’t know him. Which means anyone besides Liam, really, because it’s Liam who gets to take all the real parts of Theo and tuck them inside his chest like a secret. The thought makes him hunger for more more _more_, so he shoves Theo up against one of the lockers and drops to his knees. The tile is cold and there’s something soaking through his sweatpants but he doesn’t care right now, Theo staring down at him wide-eyed. “Um.”

“I won,” Liam says, touching Theo’s cock through those grey sweatpants he’s always wearing and always looks so good in, feeling him blood hot and starting to get hard. Theo’s hands slam flat against the lockers behind himself, gripping there. “Can I…” 

“You can do anything to me,” Theo swears, blushing after when it comes out more honest than he would probably like. Liam can’t help but smile, rubs his cheek against the hard line of Theo’s cock and watches with interest as Theo tips his head back. “_Fuck_.”

He slides Theo’s sweatpants down past his ass, noting that Theo doesn’t wear underwear because apparently he likes driving Liam insane. Now Liam’s going to have to go through every day knowing Theo’s out there with just a layer between his skin and Liam’s hands, which is really not going to help Liam’s concentration on anything other than fucking Theo 24/7.

Theo’s cock is longer than his, but thinner, the same shade of pink as his lips. Liam takes it in one hand and Theo groans, slumping against the lockers a little. Liam’s seen Theo get _shot_ and barely react, but put a hand on his dick and he turns into a mess. It’s flattering, to be honest, to get this kind of reaction from someone like Theo. And Liam’s pretty sure he’d be turned on no matter what kind of reaction he got, because again, it’s Theo.

He opens his mouth, rests the head of Theo’s dick against his bottom lip, waits til Theo’s looking down. His pupils are blown, and he’s flushed to his shirt collar and lower; Liam wonders just how far down it goes, whether it makes his nipples all cute and pink, too. He’ll have time to find that out later.

For now, he can swallow Theo down, holding eye contact even as his own eyes get watery so he can watch as Theo’s eyes roll into the back of his head, fingers scratching at the lockers. Liam’s kind of impressed his claws haven’t come out yet. Theo can deal with pain; he has no guards up against pleasure, which is so, so mind-blowingly hot because it’s _Liam_ who gets to make him feel like this for the first time, who’ll be the only person ever to have made Theo feel this good. 

He puts his hands on Theo’s narrow hips and squeezes, leaves bruises that heal almost instantly. Theo’s cock jumps in his mouth at the rough treatment, which is...interesting. Liam holds that in his head to go back to later. 

He can feel tears in his eyes as his lips finally meet his fist where it’s gripping the base of Theo’s cock, blinks them away. He can barely hear the soft overwhelmed noises Theo is making over the sound of Theo’s pulse, but he definitely hears Theo when he yelps, “I’m gonna come!” immediately before he’s coming in Liam’s mouth, whining like it was surprised out of him. 

Liam is going to make him lose control like that thousands of times, is going to unravel Theo in the best way possible til they’re so tangled up in each other that the Gordian Knot could take pointers. Which is...the most uncool thing Liam’s ever thought while having a dick in his mouth. Theo makes him so fucking stupid. Liam sighs in the back of his head and swallows, pulling off with a lick to the tip of Theo’s cock that makes him jump. 

He sits back on his haunches, wipes his mouth, satisfied with his work. Theo is panting and pink, staring down at Liam like paradise rests in the back of his throat, which, well, it kind of does. Liam has to get to his feet to kiss him, licking the taste of Theo’s cum into his mouth, privately satisfied when Theo moans and just accepts it. 

Liam rests his thumbs on Theo’s hips again, stroking the muscle there before grabbing his ass, his thick thighs. He thinks about turning Theo around and making him hold his ass spread apart while Liam fingers him open and fucks him up against the lockers, but something in him demands that Theo’s first time be something more special then Liam taking him like another trophy in the locker room. They can always do that some other time.

So he kisses Theo again, then his nose, the spot next to his eye where there’s a tiny freckle that’s only visible close up, and is about to invite Theo back home with him when Theo drops to his knees. He’s staring up at Liam with determination, the same expression he wears during fights which is...not going to be helpful in future conflicts.

Liam was already hard just from watching Theo, but now Theo’s looking up at him with his pretty face, those green eyes, his hair all soft and a bit in his face. Liam takes a fistful of it in one hand and tugs Theo’s head back, because he’s not an idiot and he can hear how Theo’s pulse stutters when Liam’s rough with him. 

“You don’t have to...Are you sure, um…”

He’s messing up where he was so confident earlier, and Theo gives him a withering look. “I think I’m emotionally capable of sucking cock, Liam, but thanks for checking in.” He softens it with a smile and his hands squeezing Liam’s hips, and now it’s Liam’s turn to suck in a breath. 

He’s had dreams like this, where he fucked Theo’s mouth til it was swollen and red, all of his smartass comments forced back down his throat. Or other, softer dreams where he stroked along his cheekbones, held eye contact. 

He’s about to have at least one of those dreams become a reality when Alec of all fucking people walks in, then makes horrible, awkward eye contact with Liam who can at least be grateful that Alec didn’t walk in about five minutes earlier. He’s only talked to Alec like...five times, most of those times being emergency situations during the hunt for Monroe. So he doesn’t know what to say about being here in the locker room, Theo on his knees, Alec most definitely able to smell exactly what they’ve been doing even if it wasn’t obvious. 

“Um, he was tying my shoes?” Liam tries at the same time Alec blurts out, “Scott tried to call you, there’s something going on at Sinema, I was the closest one here so. Um. He told me to come get you?”

“Right,” Theo says, getting to his feet, irritable. His sweatpants are wet at the knees but Liam’s not going to be the one who tells him that. “Tell me who I’m going to kill.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i almost decided to interrupt theo's blowjob instead but then i realized i should be nice to him considering what i'm going to do to him next chapter :)


	5. liam thinks brett could use a gunshot wound or two, to be honest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> broke up with my boyfriend so. that hurt really bad. and i'm pretty miserable. it's been comforting writing two people in love :)
> 
> not a huge fan of this chapter...i don't think i did that great

The hunters have gone after Brett, of all people. Of course it’s Brett, Liam thinks with some resentment. It couldn’t be someone who would be grateful to be rescued. 

Theo’s quiet as he drives them, focused. He seems to retreat somewhere inside himself at times like this; it’s hard to equate the Theo who rubs his cheek along Liam’s like a cat with the Theo who grins, feral and pleased, as blood splashes across his face. But he can't be afraid of a guy who's willing to sincerely express the opinion that Darth Maul is the best Star Wars character, or after you’ve seen said scary guy’s grouchy, scrunched up face across the kitchen table many early mornings. Theo is just Theo now, glancing over at Liam as he scents the air. “You’re nervous.”

Liam’s thinking of what waits for them at Sinema. His friends hurt or worse, another threat like Monroe, the chance they’ll be exposed again and the humans will remember their fears. He thinks of Brett spitting black poison, weak and pale where he should be vibrant. Liam just wants to graduate. 

“I don’t want to get hurt,” he says finally, not lying but not telling the full truth. It’s not dying he fears so much as being the one left alive. 

“I would kill anyone who touches you,” Theo says, like it’s a given. Liam...doesn’t think he’s kidding. He finds it comforting anyway, reaches over to squeeze Theo’s knee once, feeling his heart slow down.

* * *

They get to Sinema where the humans have scattered, lingering trails of fear and confusion, and the rest of the pack is inside. Liam can hear Lydia screaming, attacking instead of predicting. It doesn’t look great when they get inside; the pack is huddled behind the bar, ushering Theo, Alec, and Liam over as they hide from the group of hunters across the room who are doing their best to shoot everything full of holes. 

Liam slides in next to Scott, feels the comforting press of pack around him even as his heartbeat ratchets up. Brett is there, too, looking attractive and bored and being annoying just by existing. Liam glares at him. 

Wood from the bar splinters overhead and Stiles yelps, curling further into a ball, Lydia’s eyes on him intense and concerned. Neither of them will heal if they get hurt and Stiles is fully human, why are they _here?_ Mason’s not here, because he’s a good best friend who knows what limits are. 

“We can’t get to them as long as they’re shooting,” Scott yells over the noise; it’s amazing the cops aren’t here yet, but they probably don’t have that much time. 

“Are you serious?” Theo’s rolling his eyes, pulling something from his backpack, glossy and black. Liam wonders how he didn’t notice that Theo’s been carrying a fucking _gun_ as he darts up over the bar and takes the hunters down with four quick, focused shots. “Claws don’t work long range.”

They all stare; Corey shimmers back into visibility, mouth open. Liam isn’t sure what he’s going to see as he gets to his feet, whether there will be corpses or just wounded humans. He’s relieved to see that all four men are groaning on the floor, clutching either shoulders or thighs, bleeding but not dying. There’s a smug little smile tugging at the corner of Theo’s mouth as he looks down at the gaping pack, holstering the gun and putting it back in his bag where Liam will never be able to stop thinking about it. He’s honestly not sure whether he’s turned on or terrified. He thinks it’s mostly turned on.

* * *

Theo doesn’t expect the pack to trust him; he barely trusts himself some days, still too wrapped up in Tara and the Dread Doctors and unlearning what he was taught to focus on ethical issues. Theo _knows_ he was a child when the doctors got their hands on him, and he also knows it doesn’t matter. 

It still stings to smell the pack’s momentary fear as they peer at the hunters, who Theo could have killed but didn’t, because he only kills people when Liam’s not around to see it. And because he’s trying to be a good person, or something. “They’re alive,” he snaps, gesturing for Scott to go ahead and check, rolling his shoulders out. Scott nods, brushes past Theo after clasping a hand on his neck, heavy and warm. Theo isn’t immune to the effects of an Alpha, especially one like Scott. He shivers under the touch, smiles at Scott’s murmured thanks and feels better immediately.

The hunters are four men, dressed in flannels and jeans, armed to the teeth. They don’t look familiar, which means they probably have nothing to do with Monroe. An upside. He looks back to Liam, checking him over as habit. He looks fine, glowering at Brett with his arms crossed over his chest, which Theo thinks is cute considering how hard Liam cried when Brett almost died that one time, and how nervous he was on the drive here.

“What are you doing here?” Scott asks, crouching over one of the hunters who’s clutching his thigh, wailing. His face softens as he seems to realize the guy can’t be much older than sixteen, puts a hand on the back of his neck to send black veins spiralling up his own arms. Theo is continuously amazed at the level of empathy Scott is capable of. They need Scott because it can be so easy to forget that the hunters are people, can begin to feel like a video game, completely distant from reality as Theo rips the life from someone’s throat. “Hey. What are you doing here? Who sent you?”

The kid is bleary eyed and mutinous, and Theo isn’t a kind person. He puts his foot over the wound on the kid’s thigh, pressing enough to threaten. Scott gives him a look but doesn’t argue, mollified as long as Theo isn’t causing real pain. “We thought it...was just the one. A lone werewolf. An omega.” He nods at Brett, who is very much not an omega, having Satomi and his sister and various others who survived Monroe. Brett crosses his arms over his chest, amused, joined by Lydia’s tinkling laugh and Stiles’ cackle. 

“You have to be the dumbest people alive. You didn’t even bother with basic recon?” For once in his life, Theo agrees with Stiles, applies a little more pressure with his foot to see what he can get away with before Scott notices the uptick of pain. 

He looks around at his pack; three werewolves, not including Brett, a banshee, a werecoyote, two chimeras. And Stiles, who can sometimes be more dangerous than all of them. Scott’s a True Alpha, for fuck’s sake. These have to be the worst hunters alive; somewhere out in Beacon Hills, Argent is wincing and he doesn’t know why. 

“Call your dad,” Scott tells Stiles, who nods. Lydia and Malia are talking to Brett, Lydia looking tiny between them, almost like a doll. She’s such a pretty girl, Theo has always thought that, even when he was sticking his claws in her. Guilt clutches at Tara’s heart and he winces, touching there for a moment, reminds himself that Lydia is whole and unharmed, laughing at something Brett says, tossing a lock of copper hair over her shoulder. 

He backs up, away from the hunters, so that he can be close enough to Liam to feel his solid warmth. Alec looks between them, flushing red to his ears, probably remembering what he walked in on now that the crisis is over. Except that it isn’t; none of them are fast enough to stop the hunter who struggles to his elbows and throws something, striking Lydia. She falls to the ground, seizing, Stiles making a horrible, wounded noise and dropping to his knees. 

Theo ignores the hunters that Scott’s knocking out, watches Brett pluck the bag from the ground with his claws and examine it, frowning. His scent is ripe with fear, looking from Liam to Lydia to Scott. “It’s a curse bag,” he explains; sometimes Theo forgets that Brett is a born wolf and a beta under one of the most powerful Alphas in the country. Of course he knows this kind of thing. “I, um, recognize it.” Theo’s pulse is hammering in his ears, to _do something_, stop the ugly moldy green veins that are spreading along Lydia’s pale skin. “The pain’s going to get worse and worse, and the worse it gets the faster the curse spreads. Until she. Um.” Theo’s never seen Brett nervous before, already apologetic, hunching under their stares. “Until she dies.” Unless someone slows the pain down by taking it.

Theo doesn’t think about dropping down next to Stiles to take Lydia’s wrist in his hands, feeling the slender bones, the too fast pound of her pulse. He hasn’t done this since Liam was sick, is distantly relieved to feel the hot surge of pain travel up his veins, Lydia’s jerking limbs relaxing. It’s the worst pain he’s felt since the time the doctors fit his claws into his nail beds, visceral and disarming. He grits his teeth against the howl that wants to come out, bends his head to Lydia’s stomach in a gesture far more intimate than he would usually allow himself. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m taking as much as I can.” 

“We have to get to Deaton,” he hears Scott say, distantly. He has to let go of Lydia’s wrist for a brief second as she’s lifted, hears her whimper of pain and is muttering frantic apologies under his breath until he can get his hands on her skin again. 

“Theo, wait, we can take turns,” Liam is trying to say, but Theo shakes his head. 

The green veins are spiralling up Lydia’s arms despite his best efforts, and Theo’s hurting so badly even his teeth ache, a small screaming voice in his skull begging to stop. He searches for that place he used to be able to go to so easily, dead and cold and small inside him where nothing hurt. It’s harder to find than it used to be. “I can handle the most pain.” He doesn’t want any of his pack to feel this, has to stop himself from shoving Liam away when he steps closer. “Liam. It’s fine. I owe her.” He looks to the spot where she still has a scar from the almost-lobotomy, remembers putting his claws in her and doing whatever he felt like, tearing through soft tissue. Trying to destroy Lydia’s brilliant mind, the best part about her. “I owe her,” he says again. Liam’s hand drops, and then Theo is stumbling outside, still siphoning agony. 

The animal inside him is scared, dizzy with pain. Theo knows they’re driving but can’t see through the tears in his eyes; he hides them by looking down at Lydia’s wrist in his hand, dangling from where she’s curled in Stiles’ lap. Liam is left back at Sinema with everyone else to wait for the Sheriff to show up; it’s so much worse to be here in this car without him, weak and hurting with the three people he’s hurt the most. If Corey and Hayden were here, Theo could have a club of people who managed to live through his worst mistakes. 

He stifles a cry in the back of his throat, knowing Scott can tell how he’s feeling, but at least Stiles won’t know. He blacks out for a moment and when he comes to he’s fallen forward, face against the outside curve of Lydia’s thigh, chest pressing into Stiles’ hip. He hasn’t been this intimate with anyone besides Liam, trying to scramble backwards but his body isn’t responding, sends alarms shrieking. He winces, feels his muscles trying to shudder out of his skin and away from the steadily building pain as Lydia’s cream and strawberries scent fills his nose, overlapped with Stiles’ heavily medicated, inkblot scent and Scott’s sunshine. It’s enough of pack that he can remind himself why he’s here, hearing Scott curse as he runs a red light.

There’s the sensation of movement and then pressure on the back of Theo’s neck. Stiles’ hand, broad and warm. It’s weird how scrawny Stiles Stilinski grew up to be so tall, when Theo didn’t. He freezes under the touch for a moment before he melts into it. “I’m sorry,” he says again, not really sure who he’s apologizing to. All of them, probably. 

“Theo, hey, it’s okay,” Stiles soothes, and Theo turns his head enough to see how Stiles has Lydia fit to the curve of his body, pressing his mouth to her hair. He’s protective to the point of insanity for people he cares about. Theo isn’t one of those people, probably never will be, but he’s comforted anyway.

* * *

Liam is trying to sleep, tossing and turning even after he got the group text telling everyone that Lydia would be fine, Deaton producing one of his miracle cures as usual. He can’t get the image of Lydia writhing in pain, Theo hunched over her, out of his head. He’s too hot under his blankets but too cold without them, frustrated and missing something vital, huffing as he flops to his back. Reminding himself that everyone is fine doesn’t seem to help, reminds him that not everyone in the McCall pack has gotten out alive. People who the older members will only talk about in hushed whispers.

He was just a kid when the first two died, Erica and Boyd, can remember his mom sighing with regret over two kids who had presumably slipped through the cracks. Then it was Aiden, and Allison, who no one talks about. Scott’s first love, Lydia’s best friend, Argent’s only child. All younger when they died then Liam is now. 

Almost Hayden, almost Mason, almost Scott, almost all of them. Almost Theo. He pushes his face into his pillow, tries not to scream. His dad’s sleeping off a double shift a couple rooms over, he doesn’t need Liam waking him up. 

He’s starting to feel overwhelmed, a little out of it. Not his IED, just...not right. He almost shrieks when someone knocks at his window and he looks up into Theo’s startled, yellow eyes. “_Theo_,” he breathes, sitting up as Theo comes through his window, looking nothing like the intense, pained wreck he was just a couple hours ago. He must’ve changed at some point, into another pair of sweats and a hoodie Liam thinks might be Peter’s, which...weird. 

“Hey.”

Liam can’t bear not touching him, not pulling him into his bed so he can press his nose to Theo’s neck, smell the dead leaves and chemicals scent of him that shouldn’t be so comforting. They sit for a moment, curled around each other, before Liam’s pulling at Theo’s jacket, his shirt, Theo getting the message and stripping to his boxers so Liam can get them both under the covers, his chest pressed to Theo’s back. His bed isn’t uncomfortable anymore. He wants to talk but doesn’t know what to say, stares at the fine hairs on the back of Theo’s neck, settles for stroking a hand up and down his side. Theo melts into it like he does any gentle touch, is asleep before Liam manages to calm his racing thoughts. It’s enough to have Theo here and safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it drove me insannnne so many times in the show when they could've taken a character down except they don't have any long range weapons. like with monroe, one bullet and she would've been toast and never escaped the school at the end of the show. even like rubber bullets or a crossbow. i know it's not cool and showy but it's SENSIBLE


	6. theo was actually aiming to be like absolutely ruined but underestimated how soft liam is for him

Liam has plans for Theo, is going to make his first time slow and gentle, with, like, flower petals and candles and soft music in the background. 

Theo, of course, ruins all those plans by coming to Liam’s room just before the full moon wearing one of Liam’s lacrosse hoodies and those grey sweatpants that don’t hide so much as they showcase. His hair is ungelled and in his face; he looks soft and welcoming, smells like a mix of himself and Liam. Liam’s been better about the shift, doesn’t struggle as much around the full moon with Theo as an anchor. He can still feel it thrumming under his skin, though, that hot animal awareness.

He was going to be content with spending the night in his room watching TV, occasionally checking in with the pack groupchat. He’s in the middle of flicking his claws out one by one when Theo comes through his window, already talking. “Peter has someone over and he’s being fucking loud about it, it’s disgusting...” 

Liam knows that Theo doesn’t feel the call of the moon in the same way they do. He isn’t supernatural so much as he’s scientific, although Liam doesn’t bring that up. Anymore. So Theo probably isn’t aware that every one of Liam’s senses are going into overdrive, the small voice in the back of his head that he thinks is the wolf louder than usual. It points out the fluttering pulse in Theo’s throat, the blanket of Liam’s scent over him, and Liam almost snarls with it.

“_Theo_,” he says through a mouthful of fangs. Theo trails off from where he was complaining about Peter’s dirty talk and blinks, innocent. Liam knows that Theo isn’t innocent, knows he’s done a thousand things to stain his soul red, but that doesn’t seem to matter. His eyelashes cast long shadows on his cheeks. “It’s the _full moon_, what are you doing here?” 

“I know you’re not going to hurt me,” Theo says with perfect, accurate confidence. 

“No, but I _am_ going to try and fuck you into the mattress.” Theo tips his head, and it’s only when Liam realizes how much that exposes his neck that he knows Theo is doing this on purpose, is hiding his chemosignals and slowing his heartbeat so Liam can’t read him. He wants this, and the thought is enough to get Liam fully hard as he laughs. “You fucking tease.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sure you don’t. You come to my house on the full moon looking like _that_, wearing my clothes...You’re asking for it.” The scent of Theo’s want floods the room, heavy and delicious, Liam almost drunk off it. He never fucked anyone as a human and he’s okay with that; he doesn’t think it would be half as good without the ability to know just how bad his partner wants it. 

“I...I am,” Theo admits, swallowing as Liam gets up from bed and stalks closer, pulling Theo in by the hair, kissing him hard, biting at his lip. There’s the faintest taste of blood before the cut heals, Theo groaning into his mouth. “Everyone’s busy tonight,” Theo says against his lips. “No interruptions.” 

“Don’t jinx us,” Liam pleads, and they both laugh. Liam settles himself some, squeezes Theo’s bare hip under his sweatshirt, scratches his fingers affectionately at the place where Theo’s hairline meets his neck. “You’re sure about this?” he asks, holding Theo’s eyes, knowing his own are probably yellow as a side effect of the moon. 

“I’m always sure about you.” There’s only honesty in Theo’s tone, direct and certain, so Liam has to kiss him again, turn so he can bring Theo to his bed and press him down on the mattress. He sits up on his elbows, smiling, biting his lip.

“You’re, like, stupid pretty,” Liam tells him, taking his own shirt off, motioning for Theo to stop when he goes to do the same. “I like you in my clothes.” Theo kicks off his shoes instead, shimmies out of his sweats so he’s mostly bare on Liam’s bed like the dozens of wet dreams Liam has had about him since they first met.

Liam joins him there, slides his hands up Theo’s thighs, cupping his palms over his hipbones. Theo is hard, leaking onto Liam’s sweatshirt where his scent will be left behind forever. Which is fine, Liam was planning to keep Theo around forever anyway. He presses a kiss to the hair on Theo’s stomach, bites a mark there, holds Theo down without much effort as his hips try to buck up. “We could, uh, get on with it,” Theo says, and Liam shakes his head, kisses the part of Theo’s thigh where it dips into his pelvis. 

“I want to take my time,” he admits, partially because this is Theo, and he deserves the effort, and partially (mostly) because he likes being a tease. Theo’s head flops back onto the bed, one hand moving to Liam’s hair, not pulling but holding, stroking a thumb along Liam’s jaw. 

“Please, Liam?” When Liam looks up, Theo’s staring down at him, hair in his face, Liam’s sweatshirt rucked up to his ribs, and Theo’s face is open, eyes wide and so, so green. He’s never seen Theo looking this soft, without even a hint of bitter pain or sarcasm. He curls a leg around the back of Liam’s calf, leaving himself open and vulnerable so Liam can see how hard he is, hear the rabbit fast pound of his pulse. “Please fuck me.”

Theo has forgotten _none_ of his manipulative skill, clearly; Liam bites him hard on the thigh before moving up and over him, kissing his clever mouth, which is laughing against his. “You are such an asshole.”  
He skates his fingers down Theo’s stomach, stops to pull on his cock a couple times til Theo has stopped laughing and is instead grabbing at Liam’s back, digging his fingers in. “Grab the lube, it’s under my pillow.” Theo smirks, but Liam has needs, okay? Theo doesn’t have any sarcastic comments for once, though, just hands Liam the bottle and watches with complete focus as he slicks his fingers up, rolls to the side so he can reach with one of Theo’s arms curled around him. He’s dreamed about this dozens of times, sometimes shamefully, sometimes with Theo asleep next to him, almost can’t believe it as he rubs his fingers over Theo’s hole, feeling how hot he is even like this, Theo squirming under him. “Tell me if it hurts, okay?” 

Theo rolls his eyes, and Liam is going to do his absolute best to fuck the snark out of him. “I’ve been shot, Liam. I think I’ll be okay.” Liam’s half tempted to just shove his fingers inside, see how Theo feels about the sudden, intense stretch but he would also rather die than hurt Theo in any way so instead he kisses along Theo’s cheek to his ear as he slides two fingers inside, feels Theo tighter than anyone he’s been with, clutching up around him with that _heat_. “_Oh_.” Theo’s digging his fingers into Liam’s back, thankfully blunt and human, looking at Liam like he’s been shocked. “That feels good.” 

Liam grins, brushes another kiss over Theo’s open mouth, tilts his chin up so he can suck a mark under there too, just because. Just to make Theo vulnerable, close and safe with Liam no matter where he puts his teeth. “It’s supposed to, Theo,” he says, crooking his fingers and using his other arm to hold Theo down, baring his teeth when Theo just moans and sinks into it.

“I. Um. I thought about this,” Theo admits. “Back when you hated me.” Liam doesn’t deny that he used to hate Theo, because they’d both hear the lie, just makes a noise for Theo to continue. “When I came back, you were, ah, always there and _safe_, and you helped me…” His voice trails off into a moan when Liam adds another finger, spreading him wide, eyes flaring yellow. “And then you were _funny_.”

Liam isn’t expecting this, snorts a probably unattractive laugh that Theo doesn’t seem to mind. “You wanted me because I’m funny?” he checks, glad to distract Theo from any discomfort or pain, though Theo has started to roll his hips into Liam’s hand in a way that threatens to pull the wolf from his skin, Liam’s fangs pricking against his tongue.

“I want you for so many reasons.” Liam has known he’s in love with Theo for a while now; he can be dense but he’s not oblivious. It isn’t until this moment that he knows how much, realizes that this is it, that there won’t be anyone else. It has him slipping his fingers from Theo, bracing his body over his to look at Theo’s face, his neck where Liam knows he’s flushed down to his chest. His pulse is pounding in his temples; the moon is high overhead and Liam’s not going to lose control of the shift, but he is about to lose control of something else. He cradles the back of Theo’s head, fingers dipping down under his collar; Theo already looks taken, looks like _Liam’s_, wearing his clothing and his scent and Liam wonders how much more strongly Theo will smell like him when Liam’s come inside him. 

His eyes are a little glazed so Liam noses along his cheek to check in, Theo nodding against him as Liam slides home, immediately swearing because Theo is slick and furnace hot and tight enough that he’ll be sore after this for a couple seconds. Liam probably shouldn’t want that, shouldn’t want to have it last longer so Theo’s reminded of him every time he sits down. He can feel Theo clench up and release in waves, his cock drooling precum between their stomachs and Liam goes up on one elbow to check on Theo, yelps when Theo pulls him down and grabs at Liam’s ass, pulling him in close. “_Fuck me_,” he growls, brushing fangs against Liam’s ear; Liam takes him seriously and moves. 

Sex has never been like this before, Liam feeling like he’s dying for it, Theo not letting him pull away, grasping at Liam’s shoulders, his hair, as Liam fucks him in quick, hard pulses and realizes Theo’s not even going to need a hand on his dick because he’s already shaking, tipping his head back to expose his neck and Liam has to bite there, wants to say a million soft, embarassing things but settles for, “You’re beautiful like this.”

Theo is beautiful all the time, of course, but especially now when he’s turned on and pink and his pupils are blown, yellow around the edges. “Please, Liam, please, I need…” He’s clutching at Liam’s cock, getting tighter the closer he gets to coming, making Liam put some effort into really fucking him open because he’ll be damned if Theo doesn’t remember this, wants to make him soft and sloppy. 

They’re just moaning into each other’s mouths at the point that Theo arches up and comes, _hard_, on his stomach, on Liam’s sweatshirt and Liam himself. He sucks in a breath and then lets it out on an exhale of a groan, going boneless under Liam as his claws briefly prick his skin.

He smells so good, like pack and satisfaction and Liam’s, it has Liam snarling and pulling out to flip Theo on his stomach so he can fuck him deeper, grab at his narrow hips, the wolf taking control. “Sorry,” he garbles through his fangs, Theo loose enough that there’s almost no resistance against his cock and that knowledge alone would be enough to get him off but the surprised noise Theo lets out as he comes again, thighs shaking, is what has him growling as he comes himself, filling Theo up so Theo smells perfect, Liam unable to stop his hips from shuddering forwards in what has been the best orgasm of his life, so far. He almost doesn’t want to pull out, but this isn’t a comfortable position for Theo to be in so eventually he does slip out, moves Theo back to lie flat on his stomach so Liam can lie next to him, one hand on his ass in a possessive way he hopes Theo won’t notice. 

They’re silent for a moment, breathing hard, til Liam leans up to tuck his cum inside Theo where it belongs, eyeing the gape of Theo’s hole, how his healing hasn’t kicked in so he’s still pink, clenching up around Liam’s thumb with a shocked yelp. “Liam!” He’s looking over his shoulder all indignant, but he doesn’t protest, probably doesn’t even realize Liam’s being kind of weird, and hitches his leg up a little further. Liam wonders how long it will be until they can both get hard again. Not long, judging by the moan Theo lets out when Liam forces his thumb inside. 

He sits back on his haunches, over Theo’s leg to hold it down so he can use his free hand to hitch Theo’s other leg higher, fingers spreading across the back of his thigh, muscles moving under the touch. He has to stretch a little but manages to lean and bite the back of Theo’s neck as he slips three fingers back inside, feeling how much easier it is, how slick Theo is. “Oh, _no_,” Theo whines, and Liam’s about to pull away when Theo asks, “How are you _doing_ this to me?” and Liam realizes they’re both hard again; perks of werewolf healing. 

“I could stop,” he offers, but Theo reaches back to grab at his wrist before he can, leaving bruises, so Liam laughs and bites him again in the same place, is satisfied enough to finger Theo til he comes with a quiet sound, going completely limp. Liam allows himself the pleasure of coming on Theo’s ass, the small of his back. He sprawls himself there when he’s done, getting cum all over his stomach, nose in Theo’s sweat damp hair; they’re going to need to shower soon. 

He’s half expecting Theo to say something romantic, would be willing to say _I love you_ out loud with the barest of pressure. Instead, Theo reaches back to hold Liam’s hand, huffing an _oof_ when Liam settles his weight more firmly.

“I can’t believe no one interrupted us this time,” he says, taking a deep breath, Liam rising and falling with it.

“God, can you imagine? ‘Scott, I’m balls deep in Theo so I’ll have to call back.’ They would’ve killed me.”

“_I_ would’ve killed you, if you stopped.” Theo is rolling over, Liam moving back so he can settle down between Theo’s legs with his head on his chest. His heartbeat is steady and slow. They look at each other and laugh, once, before Theo’s kissing him, soft and warm and sure, licking inside his mouth. Having Theo laughing underneath him, no tinge of fear or self-loathing in his scent, just happiness, might be better than the sex, Liam thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is it!! the big one! at last! i stressed so hard writing this like what if it's WRONG or TOO SOFT or SOMETHING so please let me know <3


	7. the story may be coming to an end but their love is forever <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man guys you have no idea how long it's taken me to write this. this story means a lot to me, it has earned some of the most feedback that i've ever received which is amazing and i love this fandom. i really hope this chapter makes you all happy, and i hope you guys like it. this story has been so so fun to write and i'm glad i was able to finish it so quickly :)

“Uh, Theo...are you dead?” Liam leans over the edge, peers down to below where Theo should probably be a pile of twisted limbs but is instead getting to his feet, broken arm already healing. He sends Liam a thumbs up. 

“That was awesome,” Mason yells, waving from the opposite building. “I mean, it would’ve been cooler if you made it, but at least now we know how far you can jump.” The more responsible members of the pack would probably have something to say about Liam and Theo testing their limits around some abandoned buildings in Beacon Hills downtown, but Liam decides not to think about it as he launches himself across to the next building, almost falls, and manages to scrabble his way to the top.

Mason claps him on the back when he makes it. “Dude! That was _intense_.” It makes sense that he’d be just a little stronger than Theo, being a full werewolf. Just another thing to know about each other, he figures. Theo’s arm has already healed by the time they make it to the ground, Theo shaking his fingers out. “We probably shouldn’t do that again, I don’t want you guys getting hurt,” Mason says, which is fair enough even though the hurt won’t be permanent. 

Theo throws his arm over Liam’s shoulders, pulls him close. He’s only ever this affectionate with Liam, won’t so much as touch the rest of the pack unless the other person initiates it. They’ll get there eventually.

* * *

Liam watches Theo dunk himself under the water in Mason’s pool, coming up for air with his hair stuck to his head, drops of water trailing down from his neck to his chest, and licks his lips. What was supposed to be an innocent pack hangout is starting to feel like anything but. Theo keeps sending Liam these looks like he thinks they’re alone when Liam _knows_ that most of the pack can smell how turned on he is as he sinks lower into his seat on the steps at the shallow end of the pool, his chin dipping into the water. Or maybe they can’t tell over the smell of chlorine that overwhelms everything, stinging Liam’s nostrils. 

Theo slicks his hair away from his face with one hand, tipping his head back, exposing his neck which is unfair, really. Liam feels his claws come out and has to clench his fist, his blood spiraling away and dissolving into the water. 

Stiles, next to him soaking up the sun and probably burning horribly, looks from Liam to Theo and then back, wrinkling his nose. “Dude. Gross. Just take him home.” 

Liam would nod his head to where Derek and Lydia are rubbing sunscreen on each other, looking like something out of a porno, but Stiles does have a point and Liam’s been wanting to leave for a while now, so he gets to his feet, shakes off the water onto a yelping Stiles. Theo will follow him out, he knows. Theo will follow him anywhere.

* * *

They’re in Theo’s car, Liam dripping water onto the seats cause he didn’t feel like changing and knew it would drive Theo crazy. Theo blasted the AC in revenge, which has Liam prickling into goosebumps but mostly content until Theo decides to reach over, put his hand on Liam’s knee. Theo’s palm is broad and strong, the knuckles bulging, and Liam traces a finger over the vein that runs up the back of his hand, pausing as Theo slides that hand up, fingers curving over the inside of Liam’s thigh, squeezing greedily. Liam breathes in, smells arousal, something thicker that might be intent. When he looks over, Theo’s eyes have gone dark and hot, and Liam shivers.

* * *

By the time they’ve reached Theo’s apartment, where Liam’s been spending more and more time, Liam is about ready to jump Theo in the parking lot. He’s pretty sure Theo wouldn’t complain if Liam dropped to his knees right here, because Theo doesn’t have boundaries or any kind of shame at all, really.

Liam, however, has been living in this town for his whole life and is well-known for his temper and all the weird stuff that went down with Scott. So he drags Theo inside instead, revelling as always in how easy it is to move him, twisting his hands in the front of Theo’s shirt just to feel the beat of his heart.

He goes still for a moment, thinking about how close that heart has come to stopping, knows Theo can sense the change in him as he smooths his hands across Theo’s chest, pulls him in close so they’re pressed together and Liam can put his nose in Theo’s neck.

“Fuck,” he says once, then again. “_Fuck_.” The last couple years seem to hit him suddenly, all the terrible things that could and did happen. How close they came to losing everything. He’s not going to freak out, they’re past that now, but he does drag Theo over to his bed so he can push him down and straddle his hips, runs his hands over Theo’s broad chest, rubs his thumbs over his cheekbones to feel him solid and warm there, undamaged. Theo lets him, stares up soft and content at Liam with his hands on Liam’s hips, gently squeezing. Liam finds him so beautiful that it hurts sometimes, coiled up around affection and love and concern. “Hey,” Liam says once, leans down to brush his mouth over Theo’s. He tastes like chlorine from the pool, they both do. “You know I. Um. You know…” 

Theo’s tipping his head back, grinning at Liam, submitting to him so Liam has to push Theo’s shirt up and over his head, pinching one of Theo’s nipples to earn a yelp. “What do I know?” Theo asks, starting to get hard, grinding his hips up against Liam’s ass. Liam can feel himself turning pink, which is so annoying and of course Theo can tell, reaches his fingers up to brush them against Liam’s cheek. “C’mon, Liam. What do I know?”

“You know that I...That I love you. And stuff.” Liam’s never seen Theo smile this wide, not even when he was pretending to be nice, not even that time with Scott and Malia and images Liam can never unsee. It makes him want to look for more of that sweetness behind Theo’s teeth, has him wanting to slide under Theo’s skin where he can never come out. 

“You love me? That’s so gay.” Liam is surprised into laughter, bubbling up from his throat and into Theo’s mouth as Theo rolls them, puts his body over Liam’s and slots their hips together. His cock is hot and hard against Liam’s thigh, Liam running his fingers over the smooth planes of Theo’s back and into his shorts, grabbing handfuls of his ass to pull him closer. 

“You’re ridiculous,” he groans into Theo’s neck, to his jugular where his pulse is strong, moving him so they’re grinding together hard and fast, Liam having to bite Theo’s neck, kiss at the tiny freckle near his eye that he’s so fond of.

He’s been revved up all day, looking at Theo where he _belongs_, by Liam’s side and with his pack, so it only takes a couple minutes for him to come, getting their stomachs wet and messy, Theo gasping at the added slick, gripping hard at Liam’s arms before he’s coming himself and Liam will never get tired of this, the sweep of Theo’s eyelashes and the O of his open mouth, his pretty face. Vulnerable for once, only for Liam.

He thinks about getting up, cleaning them off, decides that can wait for a shower later. The decision is only partially influenced by the fact that he wants his scent to soak into Theo’s skin. 

“I feel the same way,” Theo says when he’s moved off Liam, to the side to touch the cum on his stomach and rub it in a little, which has Liam thinking about round two and coming on Theo’s face, his chest, the inside of his thighs. 

“That you’re ridiculous?” Liam teases, pulling the sheets up over them and tangling their hands together under the covers. The day has been warm and busy, they’ve earned a nap. 

“I love you, too,” Theo breathes out, almost inaudible even to Liam, can’t look at him and closes his eyes like he’s expecting to be hit. It’s more than Liam would have expected to get, feels like a victory. Liam kisses his cheek, his mouth, his nose, and settles back with one hand on Theo’s chest, over his heart. It beats steadily under Liam’s palm, Theo’s breaths evening out until he’s asleep so Liam can hold him, close and safe. Always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also this is probably the softest shit i've ever written like it was an accident but it happened
> 
> the part at the beginning is smth i've had written for a whillllle but could never fit in anywhere so i kinda forced it in there, sorry guys


End file.
